Color-encoded distance visualization of cranial nerve-vessel contacts

Purpose  

Visualization of pathological contact between cranial nerves and vascular structures at the surface of the brainstem is important for diagnosis and treatment of neurovascular compression (NVC) syndromes. We developed a method for improved visualization of this abnormality.     

Parity and breast cancer: Confirmed evidence of an effect on age at diagnosis

Summary An evaluation is made of the hypothesis of Woods et al. (1) that the number of full-term pregnancies constitutes a factor of growth acceleration in breast cancer. Our results confirm, at least in part, the effect of parity on age at diagnosis of breast cancer. Patients with two or more children were significantly younger at the time of diagnosis than were those with none or one child. Age at first birth and duration of lactation do not seem to be, in this analysis, confounding factors for the observed association. Address for reprints: Maurizio Macaluso, M.D., Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milano, Italy.     

Oral lesions in lupus erythematosus–cytokines profiles of inflammatory infiltrate

Background: Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Presence of type 1 cytokines in cutaneous discoid lesions suggests that they may be critical for induction, development and maintenance of these manifestations. Type 2 cytokines in combination with local interferon gamma (INF‐γ) are thought to be related to the physiopathology of cutaneous LE. Cytokines profiles are still unknown in oral LE lesions. Materials and Methods: Expression of Th1 and Th2 cytokines (including IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐10, IL‐12, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and INF‐ γ was investigated and compared in 29 biopsies of intra‐oral (sun‐protected) and labial lesions (sun‐exposed) of LE using immunohistochemistry. Results: Inflammatory infiltrate of LE lesions was strongly positive for IFN‐ γ (97%) and TNF‐α (90%), both Th1 type cytokines. Interleukin‐10, a Th2 cytokine was also strongly expressed. Other cytokines were only mildly positive. Cytokines patterns were similar in intra‐oral (sun‐covered) and labial (sun‐exposed) LE lesions. Conclusions: Oral LE lesions are associated with both type 1 and type 2 cytokines, characterized by stronger expression of INF‐ γ, TNF‐ α and IL‐10. These findings suggest that although ultraviolet (UV) light is involved in the induction of LE lesions, mechanisms of lesions formation may be similar in sun‐exposed as well as sun‐covered areas. Marques ERMC, Lourenço SV, Lima DM, Nico MMS. Oral lesions in lupus erythematosus–cytokines profiles of inflammatory infiltrate.     

Risk of iron overload and 'hemochromatosis allele(s)' in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

In the present study, we have evaluated the relationship between serum ferritin (SF) levels, 'hemochromatosis allele(s)', blood transfusions and iron parenteral administration in 69 hemodialysis patients. We demonstrated significantly higher SF levels in patients with hemochromatosis allele(s) (HA+) than in patients without hemochromatosis alleles (HA-). In addition, HA+ patients who had received blood transfusions up to 15 months prior to the study had SF levels even higher than those without blood transfusions. On the other hand, HA- patients had normal levels of SF, independent of blood transfusions. After intravenous administration of 1 g iron saccharate, SF levels were significantly higher only in HA+ transfused patients. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that HA+ patients are at a higher risk of iron overload and therefore the use of transfusional and/or parenteral iron should be strictly limited.     

KRAS mutational analysis in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and its clinical significance

Mutations of KRAS are detectable in 70–90% of pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas (PDAC), using direct sequencing. We used a highly sensitive molecular method in order to investigate: (a) the frequency and prognostic significance of different KRAS mutations and, (b) whether the presence of KRAS mutations in histologically-negative resection margins of PDAC could explain local tumor recurrence after surgery.     

Fluoroscopic Anatomy of Right-Sided Heart Structures for Transcatheter Interventions

Performing transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions requires a thorough knowledge of right-heart imaging. Integration of chamber views across the spectrum of imaging modalities (i.e., multislice computed tomography, fluoroscopy, and echocardiography) can facilitate transcatheter interventions on the right heart. Optimal fluoroscopic viewing angles for guiding interventional procedures can be obtained using pre-procedural multislice computed tomography scans. The present paper describes fluoroscopic viewing angles necessary to appreciate right-heart chamber anatomy and their relationship to echocardiography using multislice computed tomography.     

The presence of melatonin in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) berry tissues

Melatonin has been reported in a variety of food plants and, consequently, in a number of plant-derived foodstuffs. In grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) products, it was found in berry exocarp (skin) of different cultivars and monovarietal wines. Herein, we assessed, by means of mass spectrometry, the occurrence of melatonin in all berry tissues (skin, flesh, and seed) at two different phenological stages, pre-véraison and véraison. We detected the highest melatonin content in skin, at pre-véraison, whereas, at véraison, the highest levels were reported in the seed. Furthermore, during ripening, melatonin decreased in skin, while increasing in both seed and flesh. The relative concentrations of melatonin in diverse berry tissues were somewhat different from those of total polyphenols (TP), the latter measured by the Folin-Ciocalteau assay, and more abundant in seed at pre-véraison and in exocarp at véraison. The highest antiradical activity, determined by both DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-pycryl hydrazyl) and ABTS [(2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] radical-scavenging assay, was reported at pre-veráison in seed. To the best of our knowledge, we reported, for the first time, the occurrence of melatonin in grape seeds.     

The HLA-A,B gene frequencies in the world: Migration or selection?

Multivariate methods make it possible to condense much of the information available for a large number of alleles into one or a few synthetic variables. The geographic distribution of synthetic variables can be analyzed and plotted by the same technique used in analyzing and mapping the gene frequency of a single allele. The information contained in 21 HLA-A and HLA-B alleles from 116 world populations is condensed in principal components and discriminant functions which describe the global variation of gene frequencies along longitudes and along latitudes.

Most genetic variation is associated with longitude and shows a center of symmetry in Asia. Thus Asia, or some part of it, may have been the center, both geographically and historically of late Pleistocene migrations. However, latitude also plays a significant role (perhaps 10% of the genetic variation). A remarkable symmetry of the latitude variation in opposite (north and south) hemispheres suggests that climatic factors exercise selective pressure for certain HLA alleles. More specifically A1, A3, B7, B8, and B27 show about equally high correlation coefficients (between 0.45 and 0.55) with distance from equator. This results supports the idea that the well-known linkage disequilibria between A1 and B8, A3 and B7 are probably kept by selective pressure.